American Front arrests part of broader FBI domestic-terrorism probe
KISSIMMEE – The investigation of the American Front neo-Nazi group in Osceola County grew out of an FBI
domestic terrorism investigation of ties between Florida motorcycle
clubs and white supremacy groups in North America and Europe, according
to court records released this week.
The small neo-Nazi group in Holopaw had aspirations of becoming dominant force in the nationwide skinhead movement about two years ago when an informant infiltrated its ranks, records show.
The small neo-Nazi group in Holopaw had aspirations of becoming dominant force in the nationwide skinhead movement about two years ago when an informant infiltrated its ranks, records show.
No stranger to crime, the informant was a mid-level drug dealer who hung out for years with bikers across Central Florida.
In late 2009, he started dealing ounces of cocaine every month to St. Cloud members of the Kavallerie Brigade, another neo-Nazi group of bikers under surveillance by the federal, state and local law enforcement, records state.
Those records do not state when or why the drug-dealer became an informant but the most common reason involves getting arrested and being given an opportunity to work off charges by assisting law enforcement. Whatever the reason, the unidentified informant began sending weekly and sometimes daily reports to the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force.
His undercover work included attending Murder City Hammerfest 2010, a music festival in Detroit billed as "The biggest, baddest skinhead event in North America." While there he developed contacts with white supremacists from Germany and reported back to the FBI.
The records released this week focused on his work infiltrating the American Front. But numerous references were made to collecting information on the alleged white supremacy activities of the Outlaws and the Warlocks, two long-standing Florida motorcycle clubs.
"You would not be able to tell that most of these people are part of a Nazi group," the informant wrote about the St. Cloud Kavallerie Brigade members armed with AK-47s, short-barrel shotguns and numerous handguns. "Most of them do not have (Skin Head) and most had regular jobs."
While gathering information that helped the FBI arrest six bikers in March in St. Cloud and Chicago on drug and bomb-related charges, the informant also joined the American Front as full member, records state.
His reports on American Front leader Mark Faella hosting white supremacists from across the U.S. and Canada helped the FBI to turn some of those visitors and group members into informants.
One included a member of the Missouri National Guard who first contacted the American Front while serving a second tour in Iraq in 2009-2010 and provided combat training to the group before quitting to become a " 'lone wolf' Skinhead," records show.
The hundreds of pages of reports released this week are part of a pre-trial process known as discovery to show defendants and their lawyers the evidence collected against them.
In late 2009, he started dealing ounces of cocaine every month to St. Cloud members of the Kavallerie Brigade, another neo-Nazi group of bikers under surveillance by the federal, state and local law enforcement, records state.
Those records do not state when or why the drug-dealer became an informant but the most common reason involves getting arrested and being given an opportunity to work off charges by assisting law enforcement. Whatever the reason, the unidentified informant began sending weekly and sometimes daily reports to the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force.
His undercover work included attending Murder City Hammerfest 2010, a music festival in Detroit billed as "The biggest, baddest skinhead event in North America." While there he developed contacts with white supremacists from Germany and reported back to the FBI.
The records released this week focused on his work infiltrating the American Front. But numerous references were made to collecting information on the alleged white supremacy activities of the Outlaws and the Warlocks, two long-standing Florida motorcycle clubs.
"You would not be able to tell that most of these people are part of a Nazi group," the informant wrote about the St. Cloud Kavallerie Brigade members armed with AK-47s, short-barrel shotguns and numerous handguns. "Most of them do not have (Skin Head) and most had regular jobs."
While gathering information that helped the FBI arrest six bikers in March in St. Cloud and Chicago on drug and bomb-related charges, the informant also joined the American Front as full member, records state.
His reports on American Front leader Mark Faella hosting white supremacists from across the U.S. and Canada helped the FBI to turn some of those visitors and group members into informants.
One included a member of the Missouri National Guard who first contacted the American Front while serving a second tour in Iraq in 2009-2010 and provided combat training to the group before quitting to become a " 'lone wolf' Skinhead," records show.
The hundreds of pages of reports released this week are part of a pre-trial process known as discovery to show defendants and their lawyers the evidence collected against them.
Records indicate the evidence includes numerous video clips secretly recorded by the informant with a "pen" camera.
So far, 14 accused members of the American Front have been arrested on charges of illegal firearms possession, participating in anti-government paramilitary training, conspiracy to commit a hate crime and planning to attack an undisclosed target.
The most recent arrest happened June 9 when Luke Legar, the head of the American Front's California chapter, was picked up in California on charges of conspiracy and participating in paramilitary training in Holopaw.
hcurtis@tribune.com
Source: http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/2012-07-18/news/os-informant-exposed-hate-group-osceola-20120718_1_race-war-undercover-informant-osceola
So far, 14 accused members of the American Front have been arrested on charges of illegal firearms possession, participating in anti-government paramilitary training, conspiracy to commit a hate crime and planning to attack an undisclosed target.
The most recent arrest happened June 9 when Luke Legar, the head of the American Front's California chapter, was picked up in California on charges of conspiracy and participating in paramilitary training in Holopaw.
hcurtis@tribune.com
Source: http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/2012-07-18/news/os-informant-exposed-hate-group-osceola-20120718_1_race-war-undercover-informant-osceola
Comments